Monday, October 19, 2009

Katie Strang of Newsday is reporting that despite the second worst start in franchise history, GM Garth Snow remains positive about the team and it's players.

"To a man, everyone in that locker room and the organization is disappointed with what has transpired, but we can't dwell on it," Snow said. "We've got to learn from our mistakes and play a full 60 minutes. I believe in the players in that locker room."

"We've got to put 60 minutes together,'' Snow said. "We see we can take control of games at times, but our goal and objective is to put 60 minutes together starting Wednesday and build momentum from there."

"You see two different teams. The first 20 minutes, we were disciplined, we played with a lot of jump and energy, But five minutes into the second, we were turning pucks over and not winning the one-on-one battles," Snow said.

"That's our first and foremost focus, that each shift turns into a period and each period turns into a full game. We need to play an effective, full game, which we haven't done to date."

Snow then went on to talk about his first line of Moulson, Tavares, and Okposo.

"They've generated scoring chances and been responsible in both ends," Snow said. "That's a plus for our team, but we need more secondary scoring and we need to play our brand of hockey for 60 minutes."

Finally, his thoughts on how the team can get out of a negative funk.

If the team can narrow its focus to stringing together three periods, Snow said, it can prevent the frustration from seeping in and manifesting itself as a negative presence.

"You can't get consumed by the big picture," Snow said. "You have to take it one shift at a time."

My Take: I will still stand by my original theory that the Islanders schedule has been nothing short of brutal. Every team they have played so far has had playoff potential and beyond. That is not the way to start a season off. Coming up this week, the Islanders play two beatable teams right now in Carolina, and Montreal. The Islanders must put the effort in for 60 minutes against these teams to garner the wins. More to come as the week begins.